Steal My Heart
by MACRA
Summary: I knew the moment she walked trough my door, that Asami Sato was trouble. I just didn't realize how much trouble.


Everyone who comes to my office comes because they have a problem. Some are hoping that I can solve their problem for the princely sum of 35 Yuan a day plus expenses. Some think I'm the problem, and they have plans to solve it themselves. Most days, the million problems in Republic City go about their business, and the door to my office remains shut until I give the day up as a bad job and go home.

Asami Sato came to my office, and Asami Sato had a problem. Her problem just wasn't the one she hired me to solve, but I didn't know that at the time.

She walked through my door and asked "Is this Avatar Investigations?" The words were painted on the door, but the question was nothing new for me. I never hold it against prospective clients. The average person already feels embarrassed and more than a little nervous if they're planning to hire a private detective. The problems people bring to my door aren't pretty, and they're not something you want to share with the neighbors.

So if someone wants to delay the inevitable with a little pointless formality, I cut them some slack. I gave her my best friendly-but-professional smile and said "It is. I'm Korra, the owner and proprietor. Won't you take a seat?" I gestured her toward the best chair in the room, and gave her a careful look over.

You might have seen pictures of Asami Sato in the society pages. They don't do her justice. Even before I knew who she was, I could tell I was out of my class. She belonged at one of the big spit-and-polish agencies, like Varrick's. Where the carpets are plush, they bring you delicate little cups of while you wait, and where you'd never do anything so vulgar as speak directly with the poor sap who will do the actual leg work. She didn't belong in my shabby little office.

My ex-partner, Mako, would have opened out with a full-out charm offensive. While I share his taste in ladies, I prefer to set a classier tone. "So what can I do for you, Miss…?"

"Sato. Asami Sato. It's about my father."

I might not have recognized her face, but I didn't live under a rock. I raised an eyebrow. "Your father. That would be Hiroshi Sato, the industrialist?"

She pulled out a handkerchief from her handbag and twisted it in her gloved hands. "That's right."

I waited for her to continue, but she stayed quiet. This was one of those interviews where I'd have to take charge if we were to get anywhere. "And what is the trouble surrounding your father?"

"I don't know."

I sighed. "Miss Sato, I appreciate that this is difficult for you. But you need to give me something to work with. I could start guessing at what is bothering you. But if I guess wrong I'm likely to say something that would insult you, your father, or both. So can we skip the games?"

"I'm sorry. You're right of course. I'm not trying to be difficult." She took a deep breath. "He's been behaving strangely recently. He acts as if something is worrying him, although he denies anything's wrong." She shifted in her seat. "And he disappears sometimes. He's not at home or at his office. I don't know where he goes."

I remembered what I could from the society pages. "Your father is a widower, correct?" She nodded. "And he's never remarried?"

"Believe me, if it is as simple as him falling in love, I'll be terribly relieved. But why would he need to hide that from me? I wouldn't begrudge him moving on after all these years."

There were plenty of reasons why a father would conceal his personal life from his daughter. This wasn't the time to go down the list. "So I take it you would like me to put your father under observation, discover where it is he goes, and see if that provides any explanation to what's bothering him." She nodded. "There's one more thing," I told her. "Sometimes you learn things from an investigation that you would rather not know. If you're not prepared for the truth no matter what it is, you should back out now."

"I need to know. No matter what, I need to know."

"All right. I fill out a contract for you."

She read the contract carefully before signing, something I wish more of my clients would do. She borrowed my fountain pen to sign her name, and stood closer to me than was proper while she did so. I didn't mind. When she was done, she took my hand for not quite a handshake. "Thank you so much. I feel so much better just having hired you." At the same time, she slipped my pen into her purse with her other hand.

I don't think she realized I noticed. I could make up a big story for why I didn't say anything. How it doesn't do to embarrass a client, or something like that. The truth was, she already had me where she wanted me. I knew I was in trouble. I just didn't know how much.

* * *

Hiroshi Sato is the first man I've ever followed who had a chauffeur. You might wonder if a professional driver would be better at spotting a tail. Some might be. This one wasn't. For the first two days, Sato did nothing unusual. Off to work in the morning, lunch at his club, back to work until it was time to go home for the night. The third started off the same. I had an appointment later that night with Asami to discuss the investigation. Up until midafternoon, I was of a mind to tell her to save her money. Then Sato left his company early.

I followed his car to Dragon Flats, not the sort of neighborhood where you expect an automotive tycoon to make house calls. They pulled up in front of a certain restaurant, and I swore under my breath as Sato went inside. Either the head of Future Industries had just got a sudden hankering for Arctic Hen, or he was going to see Amon.

Amon is something like gangster royalty. His old man, Yakone, used to run most of the rackets back before I was born. Father and son didn't exactly get along. Amon, or Noatak as he was known at the time, left town. Yakone's empire passed to his lieutenants on his death. And then Amon came back with a shiny new name, took over the rackets with a ruthlessness his father would have envied, and made the ultimate move in going legit with trying to start a political career. I've tangled with him exactly once. I'm the one who aired all his dirty secrets to the public, and the only reason I'm walking around breathing is that he doesn't know it was me.

Whatever Hiroshi Sato was up to, he was in over his head. Maybe he knew it, maybe he thought he was in control of the situation. Either way, I wasn't looking forward to explaining all this to his daughter.

* * *

Trouble beat me back to the office. Two of them were ransacking my files. There was a third one waiting behind the door to take care of anyone who walked in on them. I took care of him instead by slamming the door open when I arrived. There was a satisfying crack and a cry of pain. I reached behind the door, grabbed him by his collar and threw him into the center of the room. I kept the three of them covered with my pistol. That's when the fourth one hit me from behind with a blackjack. He must have been hiding in the broom closet across the hall, which is just dishonest.

In the pictures, even the gangsters seem to have a thing against hitting women. I assure you that in reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. While I was still reeling, they took my gun away and gave me a working over. Not one intended to put me in the hospital, much less the morgue. It was just supposed to make me think twice about crossing the wrong people. They didn't know me very well, which was lucky for me. They dumped me on the couch and stood over me to menace me a bit more.

"You've been a nosy girl," the head thug said to me. He was a sour faced, skinny man, with a drooping moustache. "You'd better stay out of things that don't concern you."

"Yeah, I understand," I said. "Just tell me one thing."

"You're not in a position…"

"How'd you find my office? You didn't tail me. I'm not saying I couldn't miss a tail, although they'd have to be damn good. But no one's good enough for you to get here thirty minutes before me, which is at least how long it would take you to make this much of a mess. So I'm guessing you spotted me outside Amon's place and already knew who I was. You decided to find out just how much I knew before you delivered your message. And the only way you'd already know about me is if you'd been watching my client. So is this a favor for her daddy, keeping an eye on his little girl for him? Or does Amon looking for an extra handle on his new business associate?"

He frowned at me. "You don't seem to have learned your lesson. And you don't seem to understand that you're not in control here."

"Yeah, but there's one thing that you're overlooking," I said.

"And what is that?"

"Oh, I'm sure it will hit you soon enough." Asami smirked as she clobbered one of the thugs over the head with a chair. I'd seen her arrive behind them, and my blather had been as much to keep them distracted from her as it was to get information.

I lashed out a kick that caught one of the gangsters in the kneecap. He screamed and fell to the floor. Then I was on my feet catching another of them with a good punch to the jaw. Asami now had mister moustache in an arm lock. They'd left my gun on my desk. I grabbed it and fired a round into the ceiling. My landlord hates me.

Gunfire means that the police are coming. The three junior thugs pulled themselves together and ran or limped for the door. Asami now had mister moustache's face pushed up against the wall, and she looked about ready to dislocate his shoulder. "Let him go," I said. She released him with visible reluctance, and he followed his men as fast as he could.

I sagged against my desk to get my breath back. "We need to be moving as well. I don't know how to fix this mess yet, but I know I'll need to be mobile."

"You're bleeding," Asami said, looking at me with concern. "We've got time to at least clean you up some. Do you have a handkerchief?" She wet my handkerchief at the water cooler and then dabbed carefully at the cut over my eye. She held my head steady with her other hand when I winced. Her hand stayed cupping my chin even after she finished with my wounds. She was still wearing her glove, and it felt soft against my skin. She leaned closer and I could feel her breath on my face.

With an effort of will I stood up and moved away from her. "We really need to get moving," I said hoarsely. She nodded, her face expressionless. My handkerchief disappeared into her purse.

* * *

I checked her into the Four Elements under an assumed name. I know the house detective there, and he promised to keep an eye on her for me. Then I did something I hate to do; I went to the law.

My ex-partner Mako left the glamorous life of the PI for the official forces of law and order. He's now a detective at Robbery/Homicide. His boss Lieutenant Beifong hates my guts, but even she couldn't object to what I was doing. I was throwing out every rule in the PI's handbook. I was going to give the police everything. Everything except where I'd hidden my client.

Cops never believe that you've told them everything, even your friends, so it took me three hours to get done. They didn't have any better idea than me about what Sato would want with Amon or what Amon would want with Sato. It will give you an idea how little solid evidence they had on anything Amon did, when I tell you that even Beifong was pleased with the whole lot of not much they'd got from me.

I took two cabs and a streetcar to make sure I wasn't followed back to the Four Elements. Asami was still up and pacing her room when I got there. I told her what I'd done. She didn't look happy, but she understood.

"I want you to stay here, at least for the next few days. After tonight I don't want to risk your safety. I know it's not what you're used to, but that might work to our advantage." I glanced around the room. There was a small collection of familiar objects on the end table. My handkerchief, my fountain pen, and a lighter from my desk that I hadn't even realized was missing. Asami followed my gaze. She blushed but didn't say anything. I looked away. "I'll be down in the lobby, keeping watch. I don't think anyone followed me here, but better safe than sorry."

She stepped close to me. "You could keep me safe up here." She laid a hand on my shoulder. "Keep an eye on me."

It was a terrible idea. We both knew that if I stayed, my attention wouldn't be on keeping her safe. "All right," I said.

Later in the dark, I found the courage to ask the question that had been bothering me. "Why do you take things?"

She stiffened at the question. For a long time that was the only sign that she had heard me. I held her and waited in silence. "I don't know," she said, after I'd almost given up on an answer. "I'm spoiled. I know that. I always get everything I want. I don't need the things I take. I just take them." I held her a little tighter. "I've never let anyone else get in trouble for what I've done," she said in a small voice.

I kissed her hair. "I believe you."

* * *

I woke up alone. All my stuff was still there. There was also a note from Asami saying she had gone back home to get some things. Cursing the boneheaded things that amateurs do, I dressed in a hurry and set in pursuit.

Outside a newsie was inviting everyone to Read All About the Big Fire. I grabbed a copy of the paper. In the night one of Cabbage Corps biggest factories had burned to the ground, killing a night watchman and injuring three fire fighters. Future Industries biggest rival had suffered a major loss, and that couldn't be a coincidence. I discarded caution and raced to where I had parked my car.

Outside the Sato estate, I fretted. I didn't know if Asami was still there. Even if she was, was barging in the best plan? While I tried to decide, a black roadster pulled out of the gates with her behind the wheel. She turned toward the center of town. I gave a sigh of relief and was getting ready to follow her when a dark sedan that had been parked along the road started up and pulled out. I was afraid at first they were after Asami, but the car pulled into the drive of the Sato residence.

My desire to look out after Asami warred with my instincts that it was all coming down here at the Sato residence. I swore, checked my gun, and followed the sedan onto the Sato estate.

The front door was answered by the butler. "Mr. Sato is not available," he told me. I don't mix with the gentry, but I'd always expected butlers to be calm and emotionless. He seemed nervous.

"That's not going to work," I told him, drawing my pistol. "You're going to let me in, you're going to point me to where Mr. Sato and his guests are, and then you're going to phone the police." He might go along with the last bit because what else do you do when a crazy woman shows up at your door waving a gun? I was picky so long as he called them.

Outside the door of Sato's study, I could hear the raised voices.

"I had it, I swear. I had all the money we agreed on. I don't know what's happened to it!"

"Sato, I don't like excuses, and I don't like it when people welch on me." That voice I recognized. Amon himself.

"And I'll get it for you, I swear. It will take a little time. Getting together that much cash draws attention. I'll give you an extra ten percent."

"I'm afraid, Mr. Sato, that we've moved into a place where reputation matters as much as the money. You will get me the money. You will get me an extra _twenty_ percent. And you will have to pay a somewhat more personal penalty as well, so people know that you don't get away with holding out on Amon."

I had heard enough. I kicked open the door to the study. Amon had only one soldier with him as a bodyguard. Sloppy and lucky for me. I broke his nose for him with the butt of by gun before he could get the drop on me. I leveled my gun at Amon. "Mr. Sato, will you come over here with me?"

Sato looked like he couldn't decide between terror and relief, but he followed my directions. "Who are you?"

"Your daughter hired me to look out for you," I said. Not exactly what I'd been hired to do, but I doubted she'd object to the impromptu extension of our contract.

Amon glowered at me. "Young lady, you're making a big mistake."

"It won't be the first time, but you made a bigger one."

* * *

The police arrived fairly promptly. Since I'd already been throwing the Sato name around police headquarters, Mako and Beifong invited themselves along. Beifong even almost smiled at me. Sato would be facing jail time, but not as much as Amon when all this was done.

There was one sticking point. The cash Sato had been prepared to pay over for Amon's men torching his rival's plant was really missing. "It's evidence," said Beifong.

"I think I know where to find it," I said.

I drove back to the Four Elements. Asami was in her room. There was an attaché case on the bed. She looked at it as if it were an angry buzzard wasp. Without speaking, I walked over to the bed and opened the case. It was full of money. I looked at Asami.

"I didn't know what was in it when I took it," she whispered.

I nodded. "I know, Baby. I know."

Back at police headquarters, I turned in the money. "Sato's daughter took it by accident."

"Accident," Beifong repeated.

"She's got a case of her own, just like this." I held Beifong's gaze.

At last she shrugged. "Whatever. Just so long as she's prepared to testify where she got it."

* * *

"You've got a problem."

I was back at Asami's room. She had been sitting on the bed hunched over miserably when I arrived. She still was. "I know."

"You said you've never got anyone else in trouble with your stealing." She flinched a little at the word. "Well, that's not true anymore. You didn't get your father into trouble with the law. He did that himself. But you nearly got him in very serious trouble with Amon. He could have been killed." She nodded miserably. "I'm not going to judge you for the past. I don't care how you got to where you are right now. But you've got to get help."

"And us?"

I'm an idiot. "When you're better, I'll be waiting."

She nodded. She stood up, and took my hand. Looking me right in the eye, she unstrapped my wrist watch and pocketed it. Then she took her own watch off and handed it to me. She left the room without another word.

I hope that she beat whatever demons drive her. Maybe if she does, she'll give my heart back to me.

* * *

Pro bending circuit, season 5, round 3. Addiction challenge

Addiction chosen: Stealing

Bonus prompts: (object) glove, (character) Asami, (AU) old detective movie

Words without author's note: 3478

Waterbender for the Red Sands Rabaroos

Element used in the story.


End file.
